Parsing my phantasmagoric preferences

Maybe I should use this as a space to keep track of stuff that I like, just in case certain favorites and penchants slip through the holes of my porous memory. The other day it struck me that my media consumption trended overall more to the macabre than I’d realized– this during a day that included reading Lovecraft and watching part of a documentary on that worthy, taking in an old episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and playing some Ghostbusters the Video Game. I think the surface similarity of monsters and ghouls that they share is really only that, though, and that beneath the constrictions of genre they veer off in quirky directions. Obviously the Ghostbusters franchise, while involving ghosts and the busting of them, has never been a “horror” property, falling much more on the comedic side of things. The same could arguably be said of Buffy– the vampires were never really that scary. There were frightening elements, but they tended be rooted more in the relationships between the characters and the realities of teenagedom. Maybe I’m more interested in dark, necromantic situations as a backdrop. I like an interesting setting, but the characters and emotions have to be compelling foremost– which is why I tend to enjoy Lovecraft only a little at a time, and plan on borrowing his atmospheres rather than his stilted dialogue and flat heroes.

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Author: Jeff Deck

Wow…cannot wait to read your book! I just saw you on the Today Show! I am the same way when it comes to spelling…can spot it a mile away! I once contacted the township I resided in to inform them they spelled “Blenheim” (town I was living in at that time) incorrectly on a road sign!!!

jeffdeck

That’s the way to do it!

Carol Lambert

How can I join your team? Seriously, I am the world’s worst (or best, depending on your perspective) about correcting typos. I hold a red pen in my hand when reading the newspaper or a novel.

THE ULTIMATE TYPO!!!!?
I’m a Land Surveyor, and recently another Land Surveyor, who I know to be a fine and intelligent man, opened his own business and, when I saw him, was eagerly passing out his new (2 months old at the time) business cards. I pocketed one, and didn’t really look at it until putting his contact info into my PC.
Now, let me explain that, there are different types of Surveys; Boundary, TOPOGRAPHIC, Construction Stake-out, etc. His new business cards offered up his variety of surveying services by name: Boundary, TYPOGRAPHIC and Consruction Stake-out.
tYpographic Surveying!!!! Is there a better opportunity to butcher a word with just one letter and manage to openly embarass yourself so easily. I phoned him to point out the error and he was mortified. None of us are perfect, but I swear, Spellcheck is no replacement for basic grammar and spelling.
Thought you might enjoy that one.

jeffdeck

Whoops!

bob yearick

Jeff,
I’m a spotter of typos too. Write a column, “The War on Words,” for a magazine in Wilmington, DE. Two days ago, saw a restaurant sign with incorrect use of “then” instead of “than” (the two are mixed up all the time). Went inside, told the bartender, he said, “Yeah, yeah,” and waved me off. Typical. Sign in local PathMark has one aisle marked “Stationary.” That made my colum, where I noted that the aisle no doubt won’t move, but that it contains stationery.
Keep fighting the good fight.
Bob

jeffdeck

Thanks very much, Bob! You too!

Pat Friend

LOVE what you are doing! I am also on a “tear” about grammatically incorrect language! Ex: “refer back” … “irregardless” … “anyways” ….”meet UP with” … I could go on and on. In fact I have been working on a small manuscript. In terms of misspellings – the word “judgment” is spelled “judgement” often. NO ONE knows how to use “lie” and “lay”. Even Dr. Phil insists “you need to go “lay” down. I say, “Lay WHAT down?” Thanks for your hard work even though it may be thankless.

It bothers me tremendously that our language, spelling, and punctuation has declined
in a major way since I was a young woman! Carry on!!! Sincerely, Pat Friend